Numbering at around 250,000, the Arab Bedouin community of southern Israel’s Negev desert have faced many challenges over the past half century, mainly the transition from a traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle to a permanent home structure of village/city life.
These changes have affected the Bedouin women that are now facing a difficult task of navigating the hurdles and the opportunities of the new world while meeting daily responsibilities at home.
In order to help these women in that struggle, a program launched by the Arab-Jewish Center for Equality has been setup. It aims to give the women the skills and confidence needed to succeed in Israel’s modern economy.
The year-long program offers a series of workshops, trainings, and field trips for groups of up to 20 women from the same community, broadening their horizons and opening doors previously closed to them. The program is run by Nadia El Turi, a local Bedouin social worker.
A set of 24 three-hour courses addresses four areas for employability and personal growth: empowerment and leadership, including an overview of their rights as citizens; personal enrichment, including lectures on health and avoidance of home accidents, as well as personal recreation and relaxation; language skills, including Arabic literacy and Hebrew; and employment, including soft skills and financial literacy.
At the end of the program, local government offices work with graduates to help them take their first steps towards finding work or starting their own home-based businesses in a way that fits with their own preferences and the culture of their community.
There currently are over 100 participants divided into 7 groups and four more groups with about 60 women are scheduled to start in the near summer.
One example of this program’s success is displayed in the story of two sisters and their cousin who have graduated the program last December and have since opened a business doing make-up, henna, and hairdressing for brides. This is just one of many success stories of women this program has enriched and inspired.
The next few years will be key in finding out the long-term effect of such a program and whether or not it can scale-up to other groups of society.
Mrs. Nadia Altory, coordinator for Foundations for Women’s Success, has participated recently in a Forum at the EU development days sharing the remarkable work of her program.